The cloning techniques that made headlines with the
creation of Dolly the sheep may also be used to save
hundreds of animal breeds from extinction, according to
experts who attended a workshop in Rome co-organized by FAO
and an Italian biotechnology research institute, the
Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia. Twenty-three
scientists, including leading experts in biotechnology, met
for two days at the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Policy,
from 26 to 28 November 1997.

The scientific breakthrough that sparked the interest of
scientists concerned about conserving the diversity of
livestock breeds was not so much the cloning itself, as the
ability to use DNA obtained from body cells of adult
animals. In the past, cloning has had to rely on nucleuses
from embryonic (totipotent) cells, because, once cells
become specialized, most of the genes that are not relevant
to their functions (such as genes for eye colour in a
fingernail cell) get "switched off" in a process known as
DNA quiescence. Reversing this process and switching the
genes back on - achieved by the Roslin Institute in Scotland
for the first time as a forerunner to the research that
produced Dolly - will allow scientists to clone animals from
somatic cells, such as skin and hair follicles. This process
of "reverse DNA quiescence" offers the possibility of
simplifying techniques for conserving in laboratories animal
genetic resources at risk of extinction.

FAO estimates that some 30 percent of livestock breeds -
or 1 500 - are endangered or on the critical list. Most of
them are in developing countries and less than 100 of these
breeds at risk are currently being conserved.

Conservation of unique breeds will enable humankind to
meet unforeseen future challenges, such as environmental
change or spread of disease. A poultry breed that survives
with little food or special care may be neglected today
because it is low in production, but tomorrow it may be the
only one of its species to have natural resistance to some
devastating virus or pest.

At present, the conservation of endangered breeds is only
possible either by cryogenic storage (freezing at very low
temperatures) of semen and embryos - a costly and delicate
operation that is not feasible in a number of developing
countries because of lack of trained personnel and the
necessary equipment - or by in situ or ex situ conservation
of animals themselves, that is, keeping the animals alive in
their natural or another habitat, respectively.

Domestic animal breeds are disappearing because, too
often, particularly in developing countries, these
conservation options are not feasible. The scientists
concluded that reversible DNA quiescence could be a
technique to save the genomes (the complete genetic
information) of animals for a breed in danger of extinction
and offer the possibility of utilizing the breed in the
future, once the techniques have been refined and further
developed. This would mean that a sample of skin from an
animal could be enough to guarantee that its genetic
potential is not lost. The number of animals required to
conserve the breed can be sampled in just a day or two.

According to Dr Mandy Reynolds, a specialist in skin
healing aspects and tissue culture at Durham Hospital,
United Kingdom, skin samples, if treated properly, keep
reasonably well for up to two weeks before it is necessary
to freeze them. This means that samples can easily be
collected even in remote rural areas and then transported to
countries' conservation units.

"For some countries", said Keith Hammond, who heads FAO's
programme on animal biodiversity, these new techniques
"could make the difference between taking no action on
breeds currently being eroded and conserving these without
further delay." (Full text of
interview with Keith Hammond)